Funding permitting, Tom Ingram hopes to line up on the grid for a second campaign in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)-supporting, televised Ginetta Junior Championship in 2010 – and this time around, he warns his rivals, he will be going ‘all-out’ for glory.
Tom graduated to car racing last year off the back of a glittering karting career that amongst other notable triumphs had included title success in the same series as first set his motorsport hero, a certain Lewis Hamilton, on the fast track to future Formula 1 superstardom a decade earlier.
On a shoestring budget in comparison to the majority of his adversaries, the High Wycombe ace turned heads at virtually every opportunity, with a rostrum finish only second time out at Thruxton – the fastest and most fearsome track in the country – a double pole position at the demanding Oulton Park and top four qualifying spots amongst the 20-plus field on no fewer than seven occasions. All told, an excellent achievement.
“I think we did well for the budget we had,” Tom mused, “and I’m pleased with how it went overall. We were able to do very limited testing, whereas some other drivers were out practically all the time and throwing crazy sums of money at it. Being able to test every weekend means you get to learn the car and the circuits quicker – but we just weren’t in a position to be able to do that.
“Thruxton and Oulton were two very special moments during the year. I really, really enjoyed Oulton – it’s like Whilton Mill and Buckmore from when I was in karting, a proper drivers’ track. You need to be really precise, and everything just came together – the car was perfect and I didn’t make a single mistake.
“As to Thruxton, I would never have believed I’d be on the podium so early in the season, in only my second meeting in cars – that was quite a shock! It was really quite emotional standing up there, because it just made all the sacrifices, hard work and effort we had put in all-the-more worthwhile.
“We had been able to test there before the weekend, which helped me a lot in terms of learning the track – whereas at Brands Hatch for the first round I had gone in not really knowing the circuit at all. At Thruxton I already had an idea of what lines to take – and I was there or thereabouts on the timesheets straightaway.”
Indeed, the difference was palpable, and whilst sagely electing to keep his powder dry during practice sessions – “The last thing you want to do is bin it when you’re not really chasing times, so I never went flat-out there,” he reasons – Tom was also painfully aware that any ‘off’ or unscheduled trip into the gravel trap could spell the end of his season, so tight did finances get. In qualifying, though – a true barometer of real, raw pace – he was invariably superb.
“We were really quick and consistent with it all the way through,” the 16-year-old reflected. “My best and second-best qualifying times were nigh-on exactly the same at every circuit, and it was good to know that I was setting good times and consistently good times.”
On only two occasions – on his car racing debut at Brands, which was to be expected, and at Donington Park, when engine issues and the weather played havoc – did Tom miss the top ten on the starting grid, and as he now eyes a second bite at the cherry in 2010, the Conway House and Joe Bloggs-backed, reigning Wycombe and Marlow Sports Personality of the Year is confident that he is ready to challenge for the top step of the podium right from the ‘off’.
“We would like to do another year in Ginettas if we can,” he concluded, adding that he has received interest from other teams and other series’ and is presently evaluating his options. “We need to get the money together – finances are the main issue, as usual. I’ve obviously got a year in the championship under my belt now; I’ve got experience of most of the tracks and of what car racing and standing starts are like. In our second season we’ve got to go all-out for the title, so if we are on the grid we will certainly be aiming to win!
“We are hoping to do it on our own, because that way the whole focus will be on us rather than having several drivers in the team all competing for attention. We can have the awning and colour scheme on the car dedicated entirely to our sponsors, which means they will get a lot more out of it too. We’ve already got a mechanic – John – who worked with us in the final round at Brands Hatch last year. He’s worked with Porsches and Radicals before, so he really knows his stuff – and we’ve established a really good rapport.
“I’m definitely a much stronger driver now. Although we missed a few rounds along the way in 2009 which means there are some tracks we still don’t know yet, I picked up new circuits last year relatively quickly, so I’m not too concerned about that. The aim has to be to finish in the top three in the championship – and to win the title would be amazing.”
Such a landmark accomplishment would doubtless also open doors to one of Britain’s most promising up-and-coming young motor racing talents, but budget as ever will play a key part. If you are interested in sponsoring Tom, please contact his father Bruce on 07778 833485 or at bruce@ingram26.fsnet.co.uk
